


The Life of Signe Ferrosen

by AlexandraH



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, October Prompt Challenge, Screamtober, vampire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:28:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 19,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26771434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexandraH/pseuds/AlexandraH
Summary: The October Prompt Challenge using cuddlykiller's screamtober prompts, where I will develop the backstory of my Monsterhearts/Masks character as exercise.Follow the Danish Iron-Age lesbian vampire through various points in her 1000+ year old life.(Still continuing after october)
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Comments: 14
Kudos: 5





	1. Day 1: Coffin

**Author's Note:**

> Using this list of prompts [https://cuddlykillers.tumblr.com/post/630730632801173504/screamtober-2020-trick-or-treat-this](here)

_24th of March 1856, Germany_

“So, Fräulein, how does it feel?”

Anna looked up from inside the velvety cushioned coffin she was in, staring into the striking blue eyes of the vampire who was peering down at her from the side. 

“It feels very comforting. It’s almost a shame that most people don’t get to enjoy it when death comes to them,” she mused, giggling nervously. Whether the nerves was from being in the presence of a dangerous supernatural monster of the night, or whether it was from the fact that said monster was able to seduce her despite being of the same sex, Anna was not completely certain of. The vampire, who had introduced herself as Signe, was dressed in men’s clothing, but made no effort to disguise her femininity and womanhood, and yet had made a complete flutter of Anna’s heart. She did not know what to do with herself, having been swept off her feet by this undead woman’s charms. And here she was now, lying in her coffin after she was curious enough to ask.  
“I suppose that vampires like you must enjoy this part of the burial, to lie encased in such softness?”

“Yes, I wonder,” chuckled Signe, her fangs catching the light of the candle flames around the room, sending a mixed shock of fright and anticipation through Anna’s body. “I was not buried in such softness myself after all.”

“Oh, I did not know. In what kind of coffin were you buried in then?”

“Ah, Fräulein, that’s the thing. I was not buried in a coffin at all. I was put on a small boat which was then set aflame and put out to sea. Thankfully, before my death I was able to make careful instructions to my family to prepare the boat and leave it alone for a night before the ritual next morning. Thereby, you see, allowing me to escape it unseen under the cover of darkness as I awakened in undeath.”

“Like a viking burial?”

The vampire chuckled again, “not just _like_ a viking burial. My people _were_ vikings.”

“Oh. You must have died more than a thousand years ago then!”

“That’s right. But let’s not get into a millennium of history now, we’ll have plenty of time for that afterwards.”

“After... what? Lying in this coffin is nice but surely there’s not much else to do with it. Is there?”

“Oh there is. And I am sure you can imagine what it is,” Signe said rising over the coffin, and lowering closer to Anna, whispering in her ear, “and if you want to continue, I’ll show you.”

Anna swallowed, her heart beating fast and wild. She was realising exactly what the vampire meant. Usually she would never even consider doing something like this outside of marriage, what would people think! But Signe had a pull on her like no other. Maybe it was never about marriage or what other people would think. But simply that no one had ever excited her like this. She had made her decision, and as she kissed the vampire’s cheek, she whispered, “yes.”


	2. Day 2: Rain Storm

_15th of March 1986, London_

Signe was sitting in the window of her hotel room. She was smoking her third cigarette this evening. Sometimes she wondered why she even took up this habit, it was not like the nicotine did anything for her. She was a vampire, a corpse, something which didn't breathe and had no pulse. Well, they breathed a little, but only to have air to speak, and, apparently, to smoke. Maybe she did it because it looked cool. She had been told it worked, and people that looked her age have picked it up for the same reasons, so she saw no reason to blame herself for it, however stupid it was. She even had a better excuse than said human teens seeing as cancer wasn't a worry for her. 

It was pissing down outside. Had been for days. That's England for you, she supposed. Not that she was complaining at the lack of sun, oh no, thank fuck that that radiant killer was nowhere to be seen. But could it not have at least just been heavy overcast? At least today?

"God, you look depressing," came the voice of an older man. He was taking off his raincoat, which was predictably drenched, but surprisingly so was most of the rest of his clothes. Note to him, get a better raincoat. 

"Welcome back. And I look depressing, because the weather is depressing."

"Right. I mean, I like the rain. Well, not when I am being sent out into it on some shitty errand. I don't understand why you keep smoking by the way, they don't do anything but deplete our budget. Do they even taste of anything?"

"Of course not, they taste like ash, as everything else does. At least these are supposed to. And don't worry about money, we don't spend them on fancy sportscars and opulent resorts like others. If the clan comes after big spenders, they still won't give a shit about some packets of smokes."

"Right. Big spenders. Can't have that." he said, clearly not amused by the comment.

Signe eyes him for a bit, before laughing. "Oh, right, sorry, didn't mean it like that. _Completely_ forgot that that was why you're being punished. Oh poor naïve little Frederik, given just a bit of freedom and budget to help the clan, and whoops spend it all on gambling with no results to speak for it."

"Give it a break, it was over a hundred years ago."

"You're still being punished for it, so until Noctis Adrasteia gives you a break, I am not going to either," she smiled. "That's the punishment, right, forced to help the super old lesbian who can't act her age, huh?" She took a drag on her cigarette. "But apropos super old, did you get it?"

Frederik sighed. "Yes, I got it." He put a small plastic bag on the nearby table, and opened it up to reveal what was inside. "A six-pack of Guinness, for someone who apparently can still taste it." 

Signe smiled. It was well-known that vampires loose the taste for anything but blood, all food and drink being reduced to the taste of ash. For some few lucky vampires however, some foods still retain some of their flavor. It was unclear why and how, but nonetheless, that was the case with Signe and beer. Her Danish heritage, was what she argued when asked, despite it making only a semblance of sense. 

"Wait, why is that 'apropos super old'?" asked Frederik suddenly.

"Don't tell me you don't remember, little Frederik. It's my birthday today! I told you to get these to celebrate of course," Signe said, walking over the table and grabbing a can. "You are in the esteemed presence of one of the oldest members of our clan, little vampire, and today is my 1,400th birthday." 

"Right. What a way to spend it. In a mediocre hotel room, smoking and drinking while looking out into the rain."

"Yeah, exactly, hence the whole depressing thing," she scoffed. "Believe me, if I had a choice, I wouldn't spend it like this either. I'd at least have some woman to spend the night with."

"Hm, makes sense. Tillykke med fødselsdagen, I guess."

"Mange tak."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:   
> Tillykke med fødselsdagen = Happy birthday  
> Mange tak = Thanks a lot


	3. Day 3: Ravens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original prompt was "Crows" but I decided "Ravens" fit better for my overall theme.

_2nd of August 595, Denmark_

Signe and her mom was sitting on a bench outside of their homestead. They were weaving together some baskets for the upcoming berry harvest, as the old ones have been worn down by wear and tear.

Her mom was singing a little tune, to keep them both from getting bored. As she came to a close, she suddenly pointed at something. "Look, Signe, two ravens have come to visit."

Signe looked up from her basket-work, to see the two ravens sitting on top of the nearby fence. Her mom continued, "You know, those might be Odin's ravens, Hugin and Muninn. They come to report what is happening down here in Midgard to Odin sitting on his throne in Valhalla."

"Why would they report what's happening here, we're just weaving some baskets?"

"They might see the potential in you." 

"In me?!" asked Signe, with excitement in her voice.

"Of course, you're the chieftain's daughter, of course you're going to be a great wife of your homestead someday and raise powerful sons!" 

"Oh..." said Signe. "Right, of course."

"Don't doubt yourself Signe. You could have any husband you want. I'm certain he will be very handsome."

"Mhm."

"Proud warriors who all will be welcomed in Valhalla." her mom said nodding to the ravens. 

"Of course, mom. Hey, can we sing a song to the ravens, I'm sure Odin would appreciate it."

"Ah, good idea, let's see," she said, thinking for a second before starting on a classic old tune. Signe was quick to join in, all the while the ravens were looking on.

_2nd of August 1595, Denmark_

Signe was sitting on a bench in a beautiful garden of the nearby manor house. The moon was nothing but a waning sliver of a crescent, yet her eyes was able to perceive her surroundings without issue.

Suddenly she noticed two ravens flying down to sit on a nearby fence. 

"Ah, old Hugin and Muninn, an honor to see you again." she joked. There was a hint of intoxication in her voice.

"You know, I still remember my mom telling me about you two. Did you ever imagine that Odin saw _this_ kind of potential in me?"

The ravens were silent as if they really were paying attention. 

"No husband, and no sons. But I have sent plenty of warriors to Valhalla, haven't I? Probably hundreds if you count them all. Tell the old geezer on his throne: you're welcome." Signe laughed.

"Miss Ferrosen?" came a voice near the entrance of the garden. It was a young woman carrying a lantern.

"I am here, my dear. Simply enjoying the night air."

"I heard you talking and laughing?" she said entering the garden and moving closer to the vampire, still sitting on the bench. The woman became immediately cautious once she had moved close enough to see Signe.

"Oh don't mind that. Was just reminded of an old joke when I saw those ravens over there." Signe said, pointing into the darkness.

"I can't see them." 

"They are hard to spot, yes. Tell me, do you have a reason for finding me? I would hope it was because you simply enjoyed my company, but I can clearly tell you're very much guarded."

"Yes, it was to inform you that my lord will agree to your organization's proposal. I was to fetch you so you could finalize it."

"Of course. Forgive me for wanting to enjoy the few hours of the summer night. Let us go." she said as she got up from the bench.

The woman nodded and began to walk back to the manor house. Signe shot the ravens one last look and smiled.


	4. Day 4: Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Blood (in a medical setting)

_19th of February 1012, 23rd Rajab 402, Baghdad_

Saabira cut open the cadaver in front of her with skillful precision, old dead blood oozing slowly out. She needed to perform this autopsy carefully in order to get as many detailed notes as possible. Thankfully she had a knack for remembering in detail something she is seeing and studying, so she did not need to also mark the notes at the same time. Would have been a waste of paper, as they would quickly become covered and dirtied by blood.

Saabira was working on her treatise to become a fully qualified doctor. She had intended to make a fully detailed document on the internal anatomy of the human body, the female body to be more precise as she would only have female patients as a woman herself. However, she had no luck procuring enough corpses to achieve that. Actually, forget _enough_ , she couldn't even get _any_. She didn't blame people for not trusting her with their deceased family members, it was a bit of a touchy subject, and she hadn't exactly built up a professional and trustworthy reputation yet. But, still, the fact that she hadn't been able to convince _anyone_ had been getting to her. She had been close to giving up and finding another subject of study for her treatise.

It was then, one night, that she was offered a very special corpse to work with. It had an unusual price that gave her a lot of pause, but after weeks of failing to acquire a more conventional cadaver, she felt she had no other choice unless she changed her entire plan.

So there she was, standing above this unique cadaver, in a dark room only illuminated by the nearby lamps. She had moved the intestines to reveal the womb, and was in the process of cutting it open to investigate how it was composed and trying to decipher the roles of the various parts of it. She knew that all of this information might prove critical to discern diseases and ailments associated with it. This was part the reason she had accepted, she doubted that any backup plan for a treatise would be as widely applicable as this. Several hours went by with the inspection of it, until at last she finally realized that the fatigue would be too great if she went much further. She had started late in the evening, and she still had to note all of this new info down after all. 

"Ok, I'm done. You can get back up now," she said when she finished and went to wash her hands in the basin nearby. The cadaver then started to revert all the cuts Saabira had made. The blood started to ooze back in, the organs moved back to their original position, and the skin stitched back together as if it had never been cut at all. A shiver went down Saabira's spine. Cutting open a body was one thing, seeing it all move back together was a whole other bag of creeps. 

The corpse of the nude pale woman then sat up. Her light blue eyes making contact with the dark brown of Saabira's. She took out the leather strap from between her fanged teeth, and smiled. "Well, that was new. What did you discover this time?"

"I opened up your womb. Saw how the pieces of it fit together. Very informative," she said matter-of-factly. 

"Ooh, my womb~. I'm glad _you_ could get some use out of it." the vampire laughed. 

"It will be useful to many more than just me, once I've completed this research." Saabira took the nearby lamp. "All thanks to you giving me this opportunity. I thank you again, Signe." 

"You're welcome. But don't act like I'm all altruism, I get something out of this too, remember?" Signe slid off the table and donned a white robe that had been hanging on a chair nearby. 

Saabira's eyes couldn't help wander as the vampire moved. "Of course! Yes, I remember. I'll do my notes first if you don't mind." She paced out of the room and into her study, where her papers and inks were. She placed the lamp down as she sat and began to work. She carefully drew what she remembered seeing and studying. She also noted the textures and differences between the various parts of the anatomy. She even wrote down some hypotheses connecting the various parts with known maladies. No detail went unwritten. Whatever was not needed for her treatise was better left cut than forgotten. She barely noticed the blonde hair flowing down next to her head as the vampire peered over her shoulder.

"So this is how it looks? The more I see of how it looks inside me, the more surprised I am."

"It is fascinating, is it not?" 

"Very. And very beautifully drawn if I say so myself." 

"Thank you." Saabira was fighting down a blush. She was annoyed at herself at just how strong of a pull this unholy creature had on her. 

"Your God must have had the same talent when creating you."

The fight with the blush was lost. "Could you please wait with the flirting until I am done working?"

Signe giggled. "Of course. I'll give you some space, dear," she said going over to a shelf and picking off a book to leisurely read. "But don't overwork yourself again, it's not good for you. Also, I'll be waiting~." The vampire sauntered out of the room, to the sleeping chambers as usual.

Saabira knew what Signe meant. Their agreement had been that she could study her body in exchange for Signe sucking Saabira's blood. But it wasn't just that. As Signe had stayed with her, living with her, and talking with her, at some point their relationship began to include something more _intimate_. Saabira supposed that drinking someone's blood was already very intimate, and with the right feelings and needs, the development made a lot of sense. But still. To share a bed and know an unholy creature of night in such a way, it sometimes feels like a test from God that she had already failed. But even then maybe she would redeem herself by her efforts to save lives, and even if not, Saabira had already accepted that the sacrifice will be worth it.


	5. Day 5: Costume

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm like 3 days behind on these prompts lol. I'll try and catch up as the month goes along

_31st of October 2008, Massachusetts_

Mark hated this party. Full of fake people who didn't about anything else but partying. He'd hoped he wouldn't have to come these things anymore after they had graduated high school, but apparently his twin sister Linsey really wanted to go to this lame costume party on Halloween. And here he had already planned to stay in and watch a bunch of horror films, even made a list with his friends and everything so they could talk about them later, but _nooo_ Mom needed him to chaperone his sister. They were the same age! Surely she could take care of herself, she even said so herself. But Mom demanded. And now when he is actually at the party he could actually understand, a lot of the guys here were just a bunch of horndogs. They didn't deserve someone like Linsey, or really anyone, thought Mark.

"You know you don't actually have to follow me everywhere? It's not like _I_ will tell Mom." Linsey glared at him. They were standing in the kitchen, having just gotten some drinks. Mark weren't happy with the bottle of vodka someone had brought. He doubted everyone who took some was 21 seeing as most of the people here was from their high school. 

"If Mom finds out, I am the one who is going to be in trouble. Besides, I don't trust the guys here. They are all only after one thing." Mark didn't notice the raised eyebrow and glare Linsey sent him. 

"Ugh whatever, it's not like I'm stupid, I can tell when someone just want to get into my pants. That doesn't mean I have to have my geek brother around stopping me from having fun. Besides, couldn't you have gotten a better costume, it's like super lame." 

"Hey, if Mom hadn't forced me, I wouldn't have had to find one so quickly. She could at least have told me sooner. Also it's not that bad." He gestured at his cheapest-in-the-store Dracula costume. It was that bad.

Linsey scoffed. "You could have at least put in some effort. It's not like it's hard," she said despite the fact that it wasn't hard to her because she simply got the skill. She had after all put a lot of effort into her Zombie Red Riding Hood costume, and it had paid off, it looked amazing. And it would have been better if she could actually enjoy the party without Mark around.

"Nice costume. Especially the make-up, it's really well done," said someone who had just entered the kitchen. She had long blonde hair, sharp fangs, and was wearing a fancy dark and spooky dress-costume, a vampire countess by the looks of it. "Let me guess, Zombie Red Riding Hood?"

"Ah thanks, yes, you got it," said Linsey, excited for someone else than her brother to talk to. "I'm Linsey, by the way, who are-"

"Hello, I'm Mark!" Mark interjected, holding his hand out. 

"... charmed," she replied, notably not taking his hand, with a smile that Linsey noticed shifted from forced to genuine when she looked back at her. "My name is Signe, nice to meet you. I take it you two know each other?"

"He's my brother, and a pain in my ass." said Linsey

"Hey, I'm only here because I promised Mom that you wouldn't get into trouble."

"So you have no interest in enjoying the party without watching over your sister? That's a shame," replied Signe.

"I have no interest in these kinds of parties, I don't see how I could enjoy it," said Mark.

"Oh! Look," interjected Linsey, pointing towards another group of people in the living room. "Isn't that Michelle? You haven't talked to her since graduation, right? You should go talk to her." 

"Good idea, you should take this chance, who knows when the next will come, right?" said Signe in support.

"Oh. Ok, yeah, I could do that." Mark thought about it. "But then you would have to come with me, and I don't want my sister around when talking to her, sorry, so it can't ha-"

"Exactly!" interrupted Linsey. "We should split up so we both can enjoy the party!"

"It's a win-win situation." argued Signe. "Besides, don't worry, I'll watch over your sister for you, so you have nothing to worry about. I promise, you know vampire-to-vampire." she said with a wink, as she wrapped her arm around Linsey's shoulders. 

Mark thought about it some more. "Ok sure. But remember Mom's gonna pick us up at midnight," he said as he left the kitchen to talk to Michelle.

* * *

Mark found Linsey and Signe in the garden talking after he got a text from their mom. His talk with Michelle had went well, he thought, but nothing really came out of it. He had found some old friends from the IT club in high school however, which he could spend the time with. Linsey said goodbye to Signe, and went with her brother.

"So, no trouble, right?" asked Mark as they walked over to where their mom were parked. 

"No, no trouble. Signe was actually really good at getting the worst dudes away from us. We had a lot of fun, actually." 

"Ok, that's good."

"In fact, I need you to vouch for me to Mom later. Signe invited me out to eat tomorrow, and you know Mom will want me to promise it's not with some strange guy instead."

"Oh. Uh, sure. That's nice of her, I guess."

"Yeah, it is." Linsey was glad her zombie makeup hid her blush. She had learned a lot about Signe through the night, and she knew that tomorrow, what she and Signe would be having to eat and drink would be very very different.


	6. Day 6: Skull

_9th of December 1442, Austria_

"What am I doing here, Ferrosen?" The older looking vampire sighed as she entered the apartment of the other vampire.

"We are to going have a little celebration of course! Well, I had hoped for a big one, but for your sake, Lucretia, I toned it down." said Signe, with a smile that the other woman did not return.

"Celebrating what?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten what day it is?"

Lucretia thought for a bit. "I can't recall anything important or special about this day."

"It's your birthday!" said Signe, bringing out a flask of blood-wine.

Lucretia looked frankly stunned. "First of all, I don't seem to recall telling you when I was born. Secondly, I don't celebrate birthdays."

"The clan has a lot of info on it's members, Lucretia, and I specialize in information and diplomacy. Besides, this isn't just any birthday, it's your hundredth. That's worth celebrating regardless of how little you care for them."

"Ferrosen,.." Lucretia began. "Please, call me Signe," Signe interrupted. "Signe,.." Lucretia continued, "you are only here to report on what and how I am doing, correct? There's no need for this."

"On the contrary, yes I am sent here to report back to the clan, _but_ there is a good reason for this. One, I am bored. Which would be enough for me, but Two, I celebrate your birthday, and when the time comes, say in 44 years when it's my nine-hundredth, you will probably celebrate mine. Good etiquette, right? And my birthdays are, if I get my way, big and important, Lucretia. Plenty of opportunity to meet important people and make deals. And not an insignificant number work within medicine. Doesn't that sound enticing, my dear doctor?"

Dr. Lucretia Edelgard, a woman so intent on curing illness and maladies, that she as a teen disguised herself as a man in order to become a plague doctor during the bubonic plague, and continued her work in medicine even in undeath, gave the idea some serious thought.

"I suppose it does," she concluded, "but outside of the flimsy reasoning of simply etiquette to earn me an invitation, I don't see what it really has to do with celebrating my birthday."

Signe sighed. "I don't suppose I could convince you that you need to actually relax for once?"

"Sorry, but I do have things I could work on instead of wasting my time here," Lucretia said gesturing around the apartment, "so if you don't mind, I will take my le-" Lucretia paused. While gesturing around she had noticed a peculiar book. It was opened to a page featuring an anatomical drawing of a skull, half of it featuring the muscles that were attached to it. Looking closer, Lucretia noticed that the skull featured prominent fangs and a muscle to extend them. The text was in Arabic, which she unfortunately couldn't read. "Is this the skull of a vampire?"

"Yes. Though actually not just any skull," Signe said, with a satisfied grin that told Lucretia that she had just fallen headfirst into her trap. "That is a drawing and analysis of **my** skull." 

Lucretia stared at Signe, trying to see if she was bluffing. Failing to do that, she decided to take the bait. "Tell me more. Why does a book written in Arabic feature your skull? I assume that no one would have been able to study it without your permission, especially in this detail." 

"That's true. _That_ , my dear doctor friend, is a book written four hundred years ago by Saabira al-Tabiba, a female doctor in Baghdad. She wanted to study the anatomy of the human body, the female one in particular, but had trouble getting any cadavers to work on. So I volunteered myself to be cut open and studied in exchange for allowing me to feed upon her." 

"Hm. Knowing you, I suspect that was not the only thing you did together."

Signe laughed. "Deductive as always. But nonetheless, she eventually compiled and published a book of her findings. Obviously her intent was to study the human body, and she couldn't exactly advertise being close to an unholy bloodsucking creature of the night, so that book right in front of you is the only version with the vampiric features not edited out."

"Really?" Lucretia looked back the book with fascination. "That's incredible."

"And..." Signe said leaning closer, "I'll let you borrow it, _if_ you celebrate your birthday with me tonight." She held out a glass of blood-wine she had poured when Lucretia wasn't looking.

With a sigh and a smile of defeat, Lucretia took the glass. "Happy Birthday to me, then."

"Happy Hundredth!" Signe said with a victorious grin.


	7. Day 7: Tarot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not entirely happy with this one. I had some trouble with how to incorporate the prompt. But I got some interesting discussion about love between vampires and mortals, I feel.

_4th of November 1857, Germany_

It was a beautiful and brooding night for the residents at the small manor in the countryside. It was a particularly brooding night for the blonde vampire Signe. She was sitting on the railing of the terrace in the light of the full moon, listening to the small critters of the night.

A small creak came from the door to the terrace, and a woman with dark curly hair stepped out. They both said nothing, as she walked out into the moonlight, sitting herself down on one of the chairs nearby.

Eventually the dark-haired woman asked with a gentle voice. "Are you still thinking of your dear Anna, mon chéri?" 

Signe was silent for a moment, before theatrically sighing deeply. As was natural of a creature of undeath, her breath did not condense despite the cold autumn air. 

"Of course I am, Claudette. I am allowed to miss her."

"Then why stop seeing her?" 

"Because her family was getting suspicious. Besides, I couldn't stay with her for a long time regardless, might as well get out of her life sooner before I complicate it too much."

"Very noble, I suppose. How did she take it?"

"Well enough. It was not like she could see this lasting forever either. She cried of course, but so did I. And we..." Signe paused wondering whether to continue. "... slept together for one last time, and I told her I would be gone by the time she woke up. And I was."

"Hm." Claudette thought for a bit. "Signe, pardon, but I have a question."

"Go ahead?" 

"Why do you never turn your lovers? From what I hear you always loathe to part from them." 

Signe chuckled. "Some people, Claudette, belong to humanity. They're the kind to love the sun and the life it brings. They love the people of the world and want to improve the well-being of both. To become walking blood-sucking corpses shunned by the sun would take all that away. Vampirism is the very antithesis to their inner selves. And importantly, I am inextricably attracted to them, and they're the people I keep falling in love with."

"Really? Curious. But have you never taken the chance anyway, to see if perhaps the change of death would change their outlook on life?"

"Have you ever heard of my sire, the one who turned me? Her name was Valeria. She seduced a lot of people into vampire-hood. Some of them were like the ones I have mentioned. And let me tell you, you only need to see one of our kind walk willingly into the light of the sun, just to feel it's rays for one last time, once to know that it is not a fate you want to wish upon anyone, let alone someone you love. So no, I do not take that chance."

Claudette grimaced at the imagery. "Right. I think I understand." 

A moment passed in silence.

"Do want me do a spread to see what the future has in store for you in terms of love?"

"A spread?"

"Yeah, of cards. Tarot. Divination."

Signe skeptically wrinkled her eyebrows together. 

"Or you can keep moping around. Come on, it might be enlightening."

"I don't know, I did have plans to mope around nonstop for the next week." Signe said, sarcasm practically dripping from her voice. "But sure. Why not."

Claudette jumped up from her chair with excitement. "I'll find my deck then!" she said, as she skipped back inside the manor. 

Signe slid off the railing, dusting off her black fitted men's trousers, and followed her inside. 

Claudette had already set up a table with atmospheric candle lighting, and was shuffling her deck of tarot cards. "Ok, we'll do a simple past, present, and future spread." She puts the deck in front of Signe as she sits down across from her. "Please cut it." Signe follows the instruction, cutting the deck into three, before stacking them and putting it back in front of Claudette. 

Claudette then dealt three cards. "Ok, first, the past. Let's flip it and see. Oh, the Queen of Swords. _Female sadness. Absence. Mourning. Separation._ Sounds pretty sad."

Signe nodded. "Does sound like my first love."

"Oh? I've never heard of them."

"Well, she was a thrall who was given to me, when I was still alive. We were together so much, and I fell in love. But I don't think she reciprocated. On my deathbed though, I did gift her her freedom and some gold so she could stay safe and free. I wonder if she missed me after I was gone."

Claudette listened attentively. "I see. I can imagine she did. Harsh first love."

"Mhm."

"Next, the present. Two of Cups, reversed. _False love. Folly. Misunderstanding._ "

Signe glares at the card. "Pfft. What does it know."

"Yeah, it doesn't sound very charitable. But you could take it as a form of love that defies conventions."

"As if I need a card to tell me that. Most people literally doesn't recognize love between women these days."

"It is a terrible development, I agree with that. But next, the future. Queen of Pentacles. _Opulence. Generosity. Magnificence. Liberty._ "

"Now that is a promising card."

"Indeed. Perhaps the future will be more accepting of you, and who you love, and even how you love."

"That would be nice."


	8. Day 8: Cornfield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter goes out to all the monsterfuckers out there. Also this chapter has changed the rating from Teen and Up to Mature, because I wanted to be on the safe side.

_15th of November 2008, Massachusetts_

Autumn was on it's last legs. Which for Mark and Linsey meant spending a weekend helping their grandparents with their farm out on the countryside.

It was a bit boring perhaps, but it wasn't the worst. Most of the manual labor was actually taking down the Halloween decorations for the local market and fair, rather than actual farm-work. So much was machines nowadays, as their Granddad likes to say. 

Besides, Autumn and Grandma combined means her delicious pumpkin pies, and the twins could never say no to that. 

It was the Saturday, they had just had dinner and the pumpkin pie in question, and all 4 had crashed in front of the television. Well, Linsey had specifically crashed on the couch with a phone in her hand, instead of watching television. Not that Mark could blame her, they were just watching some boring rerun of a horror film from last month.

At some point Linsey suddenly rises from the couch. "I'm going to get some fresh air." 

"Of course, dear." said their Grandma.

"In the middle of the night?" asked their Granddad.

"Yeah," replied Linsey. "The moon should still be pretty full, and I want to stargaze for a bit. You know how we can see so many more stars out here and stuff."

"What a good idea, dear," cooed Grandma. "Remember to put on some warm clothes. The night can get very cold."

"Of course, Grandma."

"And watch out for things moving in the cornfield." warned Granddad.

"Don't scare her, Bill." said Grandma and slapped Granddad on the arm.

"What, I was just warning her."

"Whatever, I'll be alright." said Linsey before leaving. 

... Mark wondered to himself. When did Linsey get interested in stargazing?

* * *

A little over an hour later, Linsey came back in. She quickly greeted the rest, before going upstairs. "Hey, I'm back. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. Good night!"

"Good night!" said their grandparents before turning back to the television.

Again Mark wondered when Linsey started going to bed early. Well, 10 pm, but still early for a Saturday.

* * *

Linsey jumped into bed fresh from the shower. She started hugging her pillow to herself in glee. When she had received the text from Signe, that she was going to ride over here, she could barely contain her excitement. She had gone outside to meet her, far enough away from the house that they wouldn't hear her motorcycle arriving. 

And holy fuck, did Linsey wonder how she ever thought she was straight, when Signe arrived on her motorcycle with a cool leather-jacket over top of a red and black flannel shirt and black skinny-jeans and made her heart do several aerobic stunts inside her chest. 

And that vampiric allure when she took her into the cornfields to make out. How she held Linsey close to her. How her lips and tongue were as cold as the grave, but quickly warmed up in contact with Linsey's own. And when the corn rustled in the wind, and Linsey asked whether Signe would be worried about something lurking in the field, how she looked into her eyes, a tint of red upon her blue, and replied that she was already the most dangerous creature in these fields tonight. The chills that went down Linsey's spine, that exhilarating mixture of fear of an undead creature that could potentially kill you and the rush of adrenaline of holding that creature in your arms knowing they would never want to hurt you, it was nearly too much for her. 

Linsey wanted to give in to her desires. She wanted more from the vampire. And the vampire obliged. She was so sweet, thought Linsey. How she made sure that Linsey was ready, and how she made sure to know what exactly it was that she wanted. How she supported her when she quaked from how the vampire moved her fingers. How she asked for permission to sink her fangs into her. How that bite unraveled her entirely. 

How they laid there beneath the stars. How Linsey realized that they were actually incredibly beautiful tonight.


	9. Day 9: Party

_30th of June 1787, Italy_

Signe were sitting in front of Claudette, diligently doing her make-up. They were both dressed to impress, Claudette in a beautiful red and purple ball-gown with exquisite and opulent jewelry, and Signe in a more subdued and modest floral pink dress. 

"You know, this almost makes me thankful for the fact that we can't see our reflections." said Claudette.

"Hey sit still, I am still working on your blush," giggled Signe, "and yeah, this is fun, right? We would still be doing it like this tonight however, so we can't exactly thank our lacking reflections for the chance."

"Hm, I suppose so. One thing I am for certain thankful for however, is not having to shave ever again. That was _such_ a pain when I was alive."

"I can only imagine. Must have been dreadful."

"Dreadful, but more so tedious."

"Seems our undeath has many curses but also many gifts."

"Indeed. What would you say you're greatest gift has been?"

"Aside from meeting you?" Signe said with a wink.

"Stop it, you flirt!" Claudette said laughing, "no, but seriously."

"Ok, my serious answer. Definitely my freedom. I had some grueling and restrictive expectations put upon me, and I don't know if I could have escaped them if I had not been turned."

"Ooh, rough."

"Indeed. Alright, I am done." 

"Wonderful, thank you! How does it look?" Claudette said, starting to look for a mirror before stopping herself. "Right. Guess I just have to trust you."

Signe chuckled. "Yes, you might just have to. But you are beautiful, believe me." 

"Beautiful enough to seduce the Visconte?"

"Oh definitely." 

"Well, then our plan might work."

"He is also a horny old bastard with plenty of mistresses based on the rumours. He won't even have his faithfulness to defend himself with against your charms."

"And in the meantime, you will keep his wife busy, yes? Will you be seducing her?" Claudette asked half-jokingly. 

"I wish. From what I know of her, I sense very little chance of that working. No, I will just have to play the innocent little maiden looking for some wisdom and advice from my elders." Signe said rolling her eyes. 

"Oh no, mon petite chérie. Have to take wisdom from someone a millennium younger, however will you manage?" Claudette said with great amounts of theatrical sarcasm.

"Yes, very funny," replied Signe, as she was grabbing two glasses of blood-wine. "Before we go, a toast. For our mission's success."

Claudette grabbed a glass and continued. "And for our clan who has granted us our gifts."

They clinked their glasses together, and drank. As they finished, Signe added, "and for the hope that this shitty little alchemist, who the clan want so much to have and the Visconte wants so much to not be departed from, is going to be worth it in the end."


	10. Day 10: Mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter continues on from the previous one. Let's see if our little vampires succeed in their mission!

_30th of June 1787, Italy_

Bella Ottoboni was to say the least furious. She was of course hiding it well and was composed like no other, and the mask she wore for the masquerade helped as well. However, her husband, the rascal, was chatting with a group of younger women. Clearly trying to chat them up. And he'd already had so many scandals with various mistresses, it was a disaster. What would people think of her, when she couldn't even control her husband's urges?

Ah, good, the group finally left him. Oh, great, now some other little opportunitistic girl wanted to talk with him. Damned all these masks, Bella really wanted to know who they were, so she could properly warn them that it would be their best interest to keep themselves away from him.

At least this one was dressed like she maybe had some family name more valuable than the Visconte, so hopefully it was not status or money she wanted from him. Then again, that might be just as worse, as he could be convinced that she was safer. Her gown was incredibly beautiful, the red and purple played fabulously with her choice of jewelry, not to mention the matching mask. Bella was almost tempted to ask for her tailor. Perhaps that would be a good excuse to also get her away from the Visconte.

Just as she was having this thought, someone approached her. "Signora! Beautiful dress and mask. Pray tell, if I guess who you are, will you grant me a wish?" The young woman who had approached her looked pale with blonde hair and blue eyes that peek through the pink mask with flowers around it, matching her pink floral dress. An interesting foreigner, she supposed. 

"Depends on the wish! I am not particularly hard to guess, so your wish may not be hard to grant." Bella replied.

"Of course, you are hard to miss Signora Ottoboni."

"Yes, indeed, correct. Now, what is your wish?"

"Well it is pretty simple, but also not. I am looking for some advice."

"That should be easy to grant. What do you want advice on, child?"

"Well, it would not befit this environment, I fear. May I bother you by suggesting we go outside for a while?"

Bella nodded. She understood all too well that people might have things they couldn't talk about in the open. "After you."

The night had a gentle warmth befitting the middle of summer, and was lit well by the gorgeous full moon in the night sky. They stepped out into terrace overlooking the beautiful garden of the estate.

"Lovely night, wouldn't you say?" asked the foreigner. 

"Indeed it is." mused Bella in agreement.

"Now, for my advice." The blonde foreigner turned to face Bella. "I want to know; how _do_ you avoid the destruction of everything you hold dear, when your husband is so keen on pissing off the wrong people?"

Bella looked stunned. "I beg your pardon?" What 'wrong' people were she talking about. Bella's husband is many things, but he is not a bad negotiator or diplomat who would easily piss off someone important. Had he accidentally taken an already taken mistress? No, he was usually more careful about that. Of course Bella would have preferred that he would be so careful as to not take **any** mistresses, but the facts are that if this woman is implying something about her husband's affairs, she needed to hold her ground and defend him.

"I am simply curious. Hypothetically, if your husband had a certain unique and rare craftsman in his employ, and there were a group of powerful people seeking said craftsman, how could you make sure that your husband makes the _right_ decision?"

"Oh." Suddenly everything clicked. Her husband had mentioned something like this. She had thought that he was going mad when he said that he suspected that there were vampires hassling him. But right in front her stood this mysterious woman with an unusual aura. Bella could forgive her husband for thinking supernatural forces were at play. She could even have sworn that this woman's eyes had turned red. "I apologize if my husband has offended you or your group. But this craftsman is very important to our business. We can't let go of him." 

The foreign woman smiled. "Signora Ottoboni, I am sorry, but I do not know what you are referring to," she said, clearly lying to make a point, "I am simply here for some advice. So, how would you make your husband make the right choice?" 

The nerve of this woman. How dared she?! "I don't have to dignify this nonsense with a response. You have made your point. I believe this discussion is over." Bella moved to the door, but the foreign woman moved to grab the handle first. 

However, she did not open it yet. "This little quip might be over, and it has been fun, but trust me when I say that the discussion is not over until the alchemist is in our hands. After you, Signora," she said as she then did open the door. 

Bella Ottoboni, thoroughly shaken by this mysterious event, moved to her husband. Thankfully he had just stopped talking to the girl from before, who went past her as she headed for her husband. "I am sorry dear," she whispered, "but your trouble with your little alchemist has just gotten me threatened. Is that going to happen again?" 

To her surprise, the Visconte looked just as shaken as her, a rare sight for sure. "They came for you as well?"

"As well? Who else have they threatened?!"

"Well, me! Just now, in fact. It was her, in the red and purple dress. I am telling you, she is definitely a vampire."

Bella rolled her eyes at the suggestion, but for once she did have doubts that it was as crazy an idea as she had first thought. She looked towards the girl she had just passed. Sure enough, she was standing together with the foreigner who had just threatened her. 

"Right, of course dear. But whatever they are, I would hope that they do not bother us anymore. I will not stand for it."

"And just give them my alchemist? I can't do that!"

"I don't care what you do, as long as you fix the problem!" 

Her husband went silent. "Don't worry, I will figure it out. It won't be a problem for long."

"Good." Now, if only she could have those two troublemakers removed from the estate, but it would probably bring unfortunate consequences and attention. Besides, with how they were currently making out against a wall, the rest of the guests at this masquerade would probably call her an enemy of the true spirit of masked parties and joviality if she did.


	11. Day 11: Ghost

_21st of January 1873, Dublin_

Something foul is afoot. I believe my home to have become the place of a haunting by a mysterious specter. It is a pale blonde woman, or perhaps a man? No, definitely a woman, but peculiarly dressed as a man. She has never entered my home, but at night she stalks outside like a predator seeking her prey. She only appears at night, and seems to shun the sunlight, disappearing supernaturally quickly when the sun hints at starting to rise. One night I believe I even locked eyes with her, and it is my truest words when I tell you that I saw her eyes glowed an infernal red. 

I fear that this ghost might become the end of me. If not by her own effect, then by the fright she has been giving me. I can feel my heart causing me trouble whenever I see her, or even consider her. It is perhaps ironic that I, a writer of ghost-stories, should appear in one, or worse, die in one. 

She is here again tonight. From my window, I can see her standing across the street, looking at my home. Wait, she is coming closer. Will she stalk around my residence like other nights? Curse her and her foul plans.

A knocking came from the front door. She is here. Does she expect me to answer? I couldn't.

The knocking came again, harder and resolute this time. I can't stay silent. Very well, if this is how I end, at least let me look death straight in the eye with courage. 

Standing in front of my front door, I hesitate to take the handle, but no, I can't falter now. I will open it, and greet the source of the haunt.

And as I opened my door, there she stands. Pale. Dressed in men's clothing, but making little effort to hide her gender. Her eyes appear blue, but I can tell their natural color is that of blood. "Yes?" I ask her, hoping my voice does not betray my efforts to appear unnerved.

She is holding a book. "I am sorry to bother you this late in the evening, Mr. Le Fanu," she says. "I am a big fan of your work, especially your most recent. I have it here, because I hope I could ask you to sign it." She presents my own work to me expectantly, the title clear to read: Carmilla.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit short, but I am trying to catch up here. Also I couldn't resist having Signe try and get a signed copy of Carmilla. Big lesbian vampire cred.
> 
> Also this interpretation of the prompt was more fun than just having her meet a literal ghost.


	12. Day 12: Howl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "oh I will just post a short chapter for day 11 since I want to catch up." proceeds to write the longest chapter yet for day 12. fucking well done, me.
> 
> CW: Nazis. none are featured, just mentioned.  
> CW: Description of killing, but also not really, since undead vampire.

_9th of December 1935, Norway_

Signe had a certain way of sensing when trouble was brewing. Mainly from literal centuries of experience. Though with how Germany was changing, she hoped no one needed that kind of experience to sense what direction the wind was blowing. The nazis had already spread their fascist propaganda, and just two years prior, they started burning books, and even shut down the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft in Berlin. She was glad Claudette too had sensed the troubles and had gotten some of her friends there out of the country.

Signe had not been in Germany at the time, but the information network of Noctis Adrasteia was reliable and quick, especially her connections within it. She had decided to try get out of any areas where things might get too harsh. Unfortunately travel was a bit of a problem, as she wanted out quick and sunlight was her ever common enemy in transportation.

She had to travel with someone. Luckily she found some people who were also on their way out of central Europe. They only had a large car, low funds, and no direction to go. Signe could offer them a place to go and stay, and a guarantee that food, water and medicine wouldn't be a problem. She had two cabins far up in the Northern part of Norway, in the tiny town of Skaidi. She warned them that the place was north of the arctic circle, and that there would be little to no sunlight during the winter. She explained that she had a condition that made her vulnerable to sunlight, and therefore it was an ideal winter vacation spot for her. She of course did not mention that the particular condition was vampirism; she figured her fellow travelers didn't need to also worry about traveling with an undead creature of the night on top of everything else.

The people were a Jewish family by the name of Buchwald which was composed of the father, mother, a young girl and her little brother, and a kid on the way. With them was a family friend of theirs, a young woman by the name of Helmine Wolfe, who was tall and well-built and had short hair. None of them particularly trusted Signe very much, which was not surprising, she was after all a strange and mysterious woman. But the circumstances meant they had to take risks, and Signe had a route that didn't involve going into and through Germany, like they would have done if they had decided to try and immigrate to America. 

The way to Skaidi was easy enough. Signe had plenty of contacts, resources, and papers that made the journey relatively painless. However, when they were travelling north through Sweden, Signe noticed that Helmine was getting increasingly nervous despite getting further away from the threat of fascism. One night Signe even tried to reassure her, and promise her that she really was not leading them into a trap, but Helmine had already seemed to agree on that, and would not reveal the true source of her anxiety. The only clue Signe noticed was that Helmine kept looking at the waxing moon for some reason. 

They arrived on the 4th of December. The cabins had already been set up and stocked by Noctis Adrasteia as per Signe's request. The Buchwald family took the one cabin, while Signe and Helmine took the other. Everyone seemed to finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief, however Helmine was still on the edge. A couple of days later she had even asked Signe, with great worry, whether being north of the arctic circle meant that the full moon not go below the horizon. Signe felt that it was an otherwise curious thing to be worried about, and had already formed an idea of what was going on. She simply answered that it was correct, the full moon was always visible on the sky during winter. Helmine was noticeably unnerved by the answer.

On the 8th, Helmine asked Signe to stay with the Buchwalds instead of her until the 12th, and to not enter the cabin during that time. Signe at first refused, since the cabin was the only place she had her radio equipment to contact the outside world. She did not mention that she also refused because only her cabin had blood-wine in the basement, which was her only source of blood since she couldn't get it fresh and weren't able to hibernate. However, Helmine was insistent enough that Signe eventually agreed. It was only 5 days in the end, and Signe had already understood why Helmine had requested it. The next three nights would after all have the full moon on continual display.

It was then, on the 9th, that Signe received a letter by crow. It featured a code key from her clan, and a message explaining that tomorrow an encoded message would be sent by radio, and it was imperative that everyone in Noctis Adrasteia heard it. Signe cursed her luck. She needed to get back inside her cabin despite Helmine's request. She bid goodnight to the Buchwalds, who had tried to make her eat some dinner but didn't succeed, and had then commented on how necessary a healthy diet was. Signe agreed, but couldn't exactly tell them that for her a healthy diet consisted of human blood, so she simply blamed it on her mysterious 'condition'.

She got to the cabin and unlocked the predictably locked door. She had however not predicted that it was also barred from the inside. She pushed on the door with her vampiric undead strength, and the dresser that had been put in front of it moved easily enough. Signe closed and locked the door behind her once inside. She did not figure she needed a quick escape, and it would be unfortunate if anyone actually mortal came in. She heard footsteps coming from one of the hallways. 

"Helmine?" she asked into the dark. "Are you there? I am sorry to break my promise, but I need to use the radio tomorrow and I wanted to make sure I had access to it."

It was then that she saw her. Helmine stepped into the moonlight that shone through one of the nearby windows. Signe saw that she had assumed correctly. Helmine was covered in dark brown fur, her finger nails turned into sharp claws, and her face had transformed into a half-human half-wolf visage, and her mouth was filled with sharp canine teeth. Her eyes glowed an unnatural yellow. 

"Signe. I told you not to enter. You're in danger here. From me!"

Signe composed herself. "I know you are a werewolf. It's ok."

Helmine however only grew more agitated. "It's not! I can't control myself during the full moon. You must understand, if you do not escape I _will_ kill you." 

There was a momentary pause. Signe tried to think of a way to ease Helmine down. Should she simply reveal that she too was a supernatural creature? Helmine however did not give her much more time to think, as her instincts took over and she rushed Signe. Within the split of a second, Helmine was on top of Signe with her teeth closed around her throat. Signe did not move or react, partly because she did not want to hurt or frighten Helmine with sudden dangerous movements, and partly because a hot butch had just jumped on top of her. 

However, as she bit down and thrashed, a sharp crack rang out into the room. Signe's neck had snapped. Helmine paused. Then in a panic she let go of her neck, and tried to check for a pulse. When she didn't find any, it was as if Helmine suddenly regained all her senses again in the wake of what she had done and broke down crying. 

"I am sorry. I'm so so sorry. Why did you come in? You could have been alive right now if you had just listened," she cried through tearful sobs. 

But she didn't get to grieve for long, as Signe reversed their positions with a quick forceful move. She was now straddling a surprised and dumbfounded Helmine, restraining her hands to the floor. Helmine saw the woman she had just killed looking down at her, as her neck twisted back into shape, the bite marks on her neck healing. She was paler now. Her eyes no longer clear blue, but blood red. Her ears pointy and long like a beast's. As she spoke, her sharp fangs were clearly visible and prolonged. "It's alright, Helmine, I have not been alive for a long time now. Do you now understand why I said everything was ok?"

"I-" Helmine started. "So, wait, you're a vampire?! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know, Miss Wolfe, why did you not tell _me_ that _you_ are a werewolf?"

"Oh. Right. Um, that does actually explain a lot about you, thinking about it."

"I figured."

Helmine blinked away some of the tears that were still in her eye. She had stopped crying in all the confusion. "So, seeing as you're not dead, or uh, rather, I didn't kill you, could you, umm, you know, let go of me? This is a bit of a, umm, awkward position?" 

Signe did not move. "Well, I do have an important radio message I need to hear tomorrow, and I really don't want to get attacked by a furious instinct-driven werewolf during that. So I am considering tiring you out before then."

Helmine looked shocked. "No! I don't want to fight you, Signe. I know now that you can heal your wounds and not die, but I still don't want to harm anyone close to me!"

"Helmine. Dear. I was not talking about fighting. I meant something we both can enjoy." She eyed the werewolf suggestively. "If you want to, that is."

"What do you... Ooh, right. Wait, how did you know I was..."

"You are literally one of the most butch women I have ever seen, Helmine, and considering that I have lived a thousand years and more, that's saying something. I would have been more surprised if you were not gay."

"Ah. Yeah. I am pretty butch, huh?"

"Very much. Now please, I am really excited to see what a werewolf can manage to do in a three day long full moon." Signe then took Helmine's hands and placed them on her hips, looking very excited considering she had her could-have-been killer beneath her. 

The werewolf gulped. This was not how she expected this night to go, but she was not complaining all things considered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun note: just as the full moon doesn't set during winter above the arctic circle, it doesn't rise during summer either. meaning that werewolves like Helmine gets to enjoy a few months without being forcibly transformed.


	13. Day 13: Cemetery

_6th of July 1909, Germany_

Margret was taking a small stroll to the local cemetery. The sun had already set, and she would really have preferred to come during the daytime but circumstances didn't permit it. Thankfully the church had given her a lantern to carry so that she could see. They had even offered to come with her and lend her a hand, but she dismissed them. She weren't that old yet, she insisted. She was still very grateful for the lantern, as her balance and sight were not what they used to be.

She had gotten a little bouquet of flowers. It was the anniversary of her sister's death, and she come to visit her grave after all. It was not like she ever got any children who could do this for. Never found a good husband like their mom had encouraged her to. Just spent her life living with her good friend Julia. Well, if it made her happy enough, Margret didn't see why anyone should complain. It was remarkable how close they were though, to even get buried next to each other. What a beautiful friendship.

As she got closer, Margret could see someone else standing in the dark, near where her sister was buried. Probably just visiting someone close to them as well. Peculiar time to come to a cemetery, but then again she was here as well. One could assume this person was in a similar situation.

As she got to her sister's grave however, she could see that this person was standing right in front of it as well. It was a pale blonde woman, dressed in a black suit. Very odd. Margret however greeted her like normal, no reason to be rude. "Good evening, young miss."

The young woman looked at her and gave her a smile. "Good evening. Here to visit family."

"Yes, indeed. My sister is buried here, you see."

The woman looked like she suddenly recognized the older woman. "Ah, you must be Margret then."

"That is right. Did you know my sister Anna? What was your name again, dear?"

"My name is Signe. Signe Ferrosen. And yes I did know her." 

Margret thought that name sounded awfully familiar somehow, but she couldn't quite place why.

"I am just to pay my respects and say my goodbyes," continued Signe. "I was not at the funeral last year, after all." 

"I don't believe someone named Signe was invited to it," Margret said, still thinking of where she knew this person from. 

"Oh, I wasn't. Which is mostly the reason I wasn't there," Signe half-joked. "But it wouldn't be right to not visit her grave just because her family did not think of inviting me. I can't blame them really."

"Hm. Well it is good that you can get to say your goodbyes today then." Margret then placed her small bouquet on Anna's grave. She noticed another small bouquet had already been placed there, presumably from this mysterious woman. 

"Hello, Anna," Margret said to the grave. "I still miss you. I hope you are resting well in heaven. And say hello to Julia as well." She turned to Signe. "What a wonderful friendship those two had. Did you know Julia as well?"

Signe however did not answer immediately, as she was trying to hold in a small laugh.

"I am sorry, but did I say something funny?"

"Oh, sorry, it was just... you do know they were married, right?"

Margret looked surprised. "What do you mean? Neither Anna or Julia found any husbands, I am sure of it."

"No no, I meant married to each other. Well, not officially or legally of course, but in spirit and name. Did you not know that?"

"I beg you pardon? How dare you insinuate something like that about my sister?" 

"Margret, think about it. Did they not stick to each other through thick and thin? Were they not inseparable everywhere they went?" Signe leaned down conspiratorially. "Did they not share a bedroom with only one bed?"

Margret was about to continue being offended by this young woman's claims, if it were not for the fact that the pieces did actually fit convincingly well together. She was silent for a moment, before she asked. "Now, hold on, how do you know that?" 

"Well, Margret, before Anna had Julia, were there not another woman she spent a lot of time with?"

Margret thought back to their youth. "Oh yes, there was this blonde woman who kept dressing like a man once. There was even rumours going around that Anna was being seduced by... her..." Margret looked back up at Signe. "Wait. It can't be..."

"Yes, I am related to that woman."

"Oh my stars. Really? Are you then telling me the rumours were true?"

Signe simply nodded.

"Why I never would have believed it."

"I genuinely thought you already knew. I hope I have not changed how you saw your sister too much?"

"Well, I will be honest. I think it is a frightful thing to spread falsehoods about, but if it is as it seems indeed the truth, well that is just how it is I suppose."

"Very good. I am glad to have enlightened you then." Signe then set to leave. "Goodbye Margret."

"Ah yes, goodbye." Margret had certainly a lot of past memories to think about in a new light it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back at it again with the slightly shorter ones! and yes, the Anna mentioned is the same as the girl from the first and seventh chapter. I thought about doing a coffin call-back tbh lol


	14. Day 14: Clown

_7th of August 1897, Copenhagen_

Sofia was overjoyed. She finally got to visit Tivoli and enjoy all it had to offer, in particular seeing the show at the Pantomime Theater. She had from her friends heard all about the shows of course, but seeing one of them here on stage was even better than expected. It had the lovers Harlekin and Columbine, Columbine's dad Kassander, and of course the silly clown, his servant Pjerrot. She haven't laughed so hard in ages.

It was _so_ annoying that Sofia's dad were too busy and stingy to take her and her older sister Kristine to Tivoli when they had asked so many times to just visit once at least. And that didn't even change as Kristine became eighteen, and then nineteen, and argued that she was old enough to take care of herself and Sofia, so they could just go alone. But no, their dad wouldn't have it. It was too dangerous he said. 

But as luck would have it, a young woman had moved into their street recently. She had introduced herself as Signe Ferrosen, and was apparently making enough money to be able to live by herself and only a few servants. Sofia thought she was very pretty, and that she also looked very young. She was very impressive, and Sofia wanted to be like her when she grew up. She had invited Kristine over for coffee once, and of course Sofia came with. It was really fun. She had a lot of interesting stories to tell. After that, when dad was too busy for them, and they didn't have anything else to do, the two sisters would always go visit Signe again. 

Which brings us to today, because after they had told Signe that they haven't had the chance to go to Tivoli in so many years, Signe decided to invite Kristine and Sofia to Tivoli herself! And she was the one paying, so dad could not even complain about that! Signe was Sofia's new favorite person. It was a shame though, that Signe couldn't go until after the sun had set, something about the light being too harsh for her, and that she was also a bit busy until then. But no matter, they got to go to Tivoli, and that was all that mattered.

After the performance, Sofia couldn't stop talking about all the fantastic things about it, despite the two people listening to her, Signe and Kristine, had also been there. But she just had to tell them how amazing all of the things about it were, the peacock tail curtain contraption that fell when the stage opened, the amazing magic tricks Harlekin did, and of course all the silly acrobatics Pjerrot made.

This lasted all the way back to their home, where Sofia of course had to hurry and tell all about it again to their dad this time. She hurried so much she did not notice the peck Signe left on Kristine's cheek, nor the blush that she wore as they said their goodbyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun notes: The Pantomime theater in Tivoli, Copenhagen, and its performances are still ongoing and pretty much has been since 1844. Harlekin is the Danish spelling of Harlequin, the jester figure from Italy, not to be confused with the cool bi DC Comics villain of the same name.
> 
> also goddamn, I have to be honest, seeing clown as the prompt pretty much threw me for a loop lol, like how would I write a clown chapter in a story about a lesbian vampire?? but I think I got it in the end.


	15. Day 15: Fog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's right, got two chapters out today! I told ya I would try and catch up.

_12th of March 1936, Norway_

It was an early morning for Helmine. And she loved it for one very particular reason: because they had finally entered the season of early sunrises. She had been in Skaidi for three months now, and it had not been until late January that the sun actually made a noteworthy appearance, and then not until late February that it was a part of the morning. But now those dark winter months were over, and she could enjoy the sunlight more. And she really enjoyed the idea of **not** being forcibly transformed by her lycanthrope curse for several days without the pause the daytime gives.

She was up early to get some supplies that had been sent to them from Signe's clan. Helmine was still unsure of how much she actually trusted that particular part of the vampire, but they gave her and the Buchwalds plenty of food and medicine, not to mention that she was sure that they did not have anything to do with the nazis. Signe had explained that most of the older vampires in her clan was actually older than ideas such as having a strict racial hierarchy or condemning other gender identities and sexualities as deviant, and were not particularly interested in buying into it now. In fact a good amount were, or had been in life, people that the nazis wanted gone. This vampire clan may not have the best intents for humanity, but it relaxed Helmine to know that at least they were not fascist collaborators or sympathizers.

She was driving down to the nearby river, where a boat would be bringing the supplies. The sun were heating up the ground and morning dew, so a heavy fog had settled over the land. Helmine could barely see a few meters in front of her. But the lights of the boat were easy enough to spot, and she could get the supplies no problem. The sailors had warned her however, that their prediction would be that the fog wouldn't settle for quite some time, and that it might be a good idea to wait until it did before she travelled back, so that she did not get lost. Helmine thanked them for their advice, but she got here fine enough, so how hard could it be to go back?

Apparently much harder than she thought. Helmine did actually get well and truly lost, and it was not until the fog did settle that she was able to get a bearing on where she was. It was not until just a bit before noon that she was able to get back to their cabins. She dropped off the majority of the supplies at the Buchwald's, before she finally could go back home to her cabin.

She entered silently, trying to make as little noise as possible, knowing that Signe was likely asleep at this time. Helmine may have loved the sun coming back, but the vampire had been annoyed at not being able to go out whenever anymore. And it would get worse yet when the summer months come and the sun would never set below the horizon. Signe had already made it clear that the blinds on the windows were not coming back up until she was no longer in danger of a stray ray of sunlight. Helmine was glad that even in her normal human form, her lycanthropy gave her better than average low-light vision. She was stashing the supplies in the kitchen and pantry, when she was surprised by a hug from behind.

"You were gone for so long. I thought it was just going to be a short trip?" asked Signe into the werewolf's back. 

"I got lost in the fog on the way. Sorry." Helmine laughed, as she turned around in the shorter woman's embrace and returned the hug. She quickly noticed that Signe was wearing nothing but a night-robe. 

"Well, you promised me that you would come back soon. _I think_ you need to make it up to me." Signe said while peppering Helmine's neck with small kisses. 

"I don't know, I am pretty busy. I promised David that I would help fix something in their cabin. And Isabella still need to prepare for when she has to give birth, which could be any day now, and the kids wanted me to... what are you doing?" she asked, as Signe was unbuttoning her shirt.

"What does it look like?" she replied with a smile. "Promises, needs, wants. Helmine, I got those too. And if you don't want me to continue, I'll stop, but are you going to tell me that you don't have the same needs and wants right now?" 

Helmine sighed with a smile. "You are going to be death of me one day, Signe." She lifted the vampire up on the nearby table. "But you're right. I could use a break from working."

"I often am," Signe giggled with her arms around Helmine's neck, before she kissed her.

When Europe had turned to shit, Helmine had been worried that she might not make it through it all. But thanks to this needy little vampire, she might manage just fine.


	16. Day 16: Nightmare

_16th of September 618, Denmark_

It was a lovely day in Denmark. Signe was cooking over the hearth, her two daughters helping her. Her son, the youngest of her children, were with his grandmother, listening to stories presumably. She was so blessed by the gods to have these wonderful kids. 

Her husband, Erik, was a wonderful man. Their marriage was a wonderful feast, and their families had exchanged many wonderful presents. He was everything a woman could want. Strong, loyal, and brave. He had even brought home great treasures from when he went on their viking raids, and was shaping up to be a great future chief of their village. 

It looked like the bright and wonderful future Signe's mom had predicted had come true. And it was everything she ~~hated~~ wanted.

A great booming masculine voice rang out into their homestead. It was Erik's voice, and it filled Signe with anticipation and ~~revulsion~~ joy. "I am home!"

"Welcome home, my dear husband," Signe said with ~~sick in her throat~~ a smile on her face. Their daughters dropped what they were doing to greet their father. 

"Calm down, my darlings. I was just going around the village," he laughed. "You are acting as if I have been gone for years."

"They just miss their father, you can't blame them for that."

"Did you perhaps miss me too?" Erik asked with a grin.

 ~~"I would rather die."~~ "Just maybe I did," she cooed. 

"Well, we can't have that," he laughed as he moved closer to Signe. He leaned in for a kiss, and Signe ~~no!~~ moved ~~fuck this!~~ in ~~this is not what I want. It has _never_ been what I want!~~ to accept.

* * *

Signe's eyes flew open as she abruptly awoke. Had she still been alive, she'd be covered in cold sweat and breathing heavily. Instead, she was just filled with a tense dread and a cold chill running down her spine. She sat up from the fabrics and pillows she had been lying on. She saw the darkened brick-built room she was in, and heard far away the chittering of birds frolicking in the daylight. She saw beside her was another sleeping vampire, Korinna, one who had been turned by Valeria as well. Signe had finally reoriented herself, she knew where she was now.

_16th of September 618, Byzantine Greece_

Korinna stirred awake, and looked up at Signe. "Hey."

"Hey," Signe replied. "Sorry to wake you up, I just had a nightmare."

"Aw, that's not good. Come here," Korinna said, dragging Signe to lie back down. Signe complied. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Signe thought for a bit as she looked into Korinna's eyes. "No, I don't think so," she said, moving a hand up to play with Korinna's dark curls. "I think I would rather have you distract me from it, please?" 

Korinna giggled. "Of course. I can do that for you." She leaned in for a kiss, and Signe moved in to accept. As their lips met, Signe realized that despite her undeath, she felt more alive now than she ever did when living under the pressures of her family. It was a wonderful feeling, one she hoped to chase for a long time to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest: that nightmare felt super icky to write lol


	17. Day 17: Spider

_27th of January 1328, 13th of Rabi Al-Awwal 728, Timbuktu_

Ahmed had done it again. He had completely forgot to check the deadline for his assignment his teacher had set him. He still had plenty of time, he would argue, he just needed to devote less time to other things. Like eating. And sleeping. It will be fine. But for now he needed to find some materials in the libraries of Sankoré, and hopefully they will let him in despite it being in the middle of the night.

"Ahmed! What the hell are you doing here?" the old grumpy librarian asked, after Ahmed had knocked on the door, waited, and then knocked again, then waited again, and repeated until someone answered. 

"Sorry, but I really need to read through some scrolls, it is very important. Could I be let in?" 

The librarian squinted hard into a steely gaze that bore into Ahmed's very soul. "Did you forget to start on your assignment on time again?"

Ahmed sighed. Of course it would have been this obvious. And so he admitted it.

"Well, you're in luck, I suppose. We haven't closed down yet, because we have a guest here who has requested to study here at night. I will ask you however to not disturb this woman. She has powerful connections, and to be honest, she kind of scares me."

"Oh, ok. Thank you, I will consider her privacy of course."

Ahmed was let in to the library, and quickly got to work. He wanted to move fast, because he had only the small enclosed oil lamp and the moonlight to go by, and he hoped to get at least a little sleep before the night was over.

He was going through collecting the scrolls, when he heard a voice. It was fairly quiet, but it stood out clear against the silence of the night. It was in likelihood coming from the guest the librarian was talking about. Ahmed wasn't intending to spy or anything, but he could not help and try to listen in. However, it seems she was speaking in some other language, maybe greek or latin, neither of which Ahmed was the most practiced at. But it raised the question: who was she talking to?

Ahmed lurked closer. He had been asked not to disturb her, but just seeing what she was doing wouldn't count as disturbing her, right? He found her sitting at a table, dressed in fine garbs, with a small oil lamp to the side. She was sitting in front of a book, talking to... the table? No, something _on_ the table. Ahmed tried to go even closer, to see what it was she was talking at, when she stopped and looked straight at him. He could have sworn the eyes were red for just a moment, before he noticed they were blue. A strange color, he thought. She was pale too, paler than anyone Ahmed had ever seen before, as was a few strands of hair poking out from her garbs. A foreign traveler for sure. 

She spoke. "Can I help you?"

"Oh! Sorry, yes, I mean no, I mean I was just wondering who you were talking to?"

"I was just talking to this little spider here." She pointed at the table. 

Ahmed dared to move closer. He moved to the other side of the table from the foreign guest, and saw, indeed, a spider. A dark brown spider the size of a thumb. "Ah, I see. What were you saying to it? Oh, if you don't mind me asking, I know I am not supposed to disturb you."

"It's ok. I was simply whispering it sweet nothings about how cute it was. Either that, or I was telling it dark and mysterious secrets. Who knows?" she joked.

Ahmed felt that just maybe it wasn't actually a joke. He could see what the librarian meant now. 

He decided to say his goodbyes, and hurry out. He already had all the study materials he needed, and he wanted to get some sleep anyway, right? If he could get any.


	18. Day 18: Carnival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, whoops, this one came out late. tbf I have been kinda busy with some stuff, and this was also a chapter I felt I wanted to do right. the other chapters may take some time as well, now that I definitely am not going to catch up anyway, lol. but I will still do all 31 days, for sure.

_17th of April 2009, Massachusetts_

Linsey was currently being dragged by her two smaller cousins through the local carnival that was traveling through. Normally she would have been excited to go, but first of all: with her friends not her cousins, and secondly: not the day after she had a big fight with her vampire girlfriend. But Mom as always had insisted. She really likes insisting that people who don't want to be chaperones to their family members should be chaperoning their family members, apparently.

So while Linsey would have preferred to sulk in her bedroom with too much ice-cream and Tegan and Sara on repeat, instead she was buying these two little gremlins churros and candy floss for them to barf up later because they decided to go on a ride that was too wild for them. What an amazing night this was shaping up to be, she thought sarcastically. 

And it became even better, when Toby, the younger of her cousins, went missing while Bobby, the older, was busy trying to win some garbage at the shooting gallery and Linsey was busy zoning out. "Where is your brother?" she asked when she finally noticed the distinct lack of Toby.

"I don't know," Bobby answered holding the fake plastic sword he had just won. "Aren't you the one who is supposed to look after us?"

"Yeah, I know, just," Linsey let out a tired sigh. "Just help me look for him, ok?"

Bobby nodded in agreement. 

They spent the better part of half an hour looking for Toby, and had still not found him. Linsey considered going to the Lost & Found to see if maybe he had decided to wait for them there, or maybe even call the police if they couldn't find him at all. She really hoped it wouldn't come to that. Luckily, Bobby yanked in Linsey's sleeve and pointed. "There he is!"

Linsey looked to where he was pointing and sure enough, there Toby was. He was sitting at a table on a bench across a dark-haired woman, who was presumably trying to cheer him up. As Linsey hurried over, she noticed that Toby looked like he had been crying. "Hey, Toby! There you are."

As soon as Toby saw Linsey, he immediately went to hug her, still sniffling. 

"Oh hey there, it's ok." Linsey said returning the hug, before shifting her attention to the stranger. "Thank you Miss for looking after him, I didn't intend to lose him, I am so sorry."

"It's quite alright. It happens. My friend has gone to get some fries to cheer him up, so you're welcome to sit down if you want."

"Oh, thanks. We have been running around trying to find him, so we could use some rest. Right, Toby, Bobby?"

Toby just nodded, while Bobby exclaimed, "Sure, but I also want fries!"

The strange woman just laughed. "Don't worry, my friend is terrible with portion sizes, especially for kids, and _especially_ for Americans. She is very likely going to bring enough for the both of you." She then held a hand out to Linsey. "I am Claudette by the way, nice to meet you."

"I'm Linsey, nice to meet you too. So she's not American herself then?" Linsey asked after shaking Claudette's hand and sitting down. 

Claudette raised an eyebrow at hearing Linsey's name, but said nothing to it, and just answered. "Correct, we are both European. I am from France, and she is from Denmark. She has been living here for a bit, I am really just visiting to drop off some things."

"What's Denmark?" asked Bobby. 

"It's a country in the Northern part of Europe." Linsey answered. "It's a part of Scandinavia. It was where vikings used to live and stuff. I also have a... friend, who is from there." Thinking about Signe gave her pause. This was starting to make her think of their fight again, and about how she was unsure of what was going to happen to them. She didn't even notice Claudette raising her other eyebrow at her when she talked about her ' ... friend'.

"That's right. Right now we're just here to enjoy the carnival." Claudette continued. "Well, at least I'm hoping she is. I kind of forced her to come, since she was just moping around otherwise."

"Oh no, did something happen to her?"

"Nothing too horrible, she just had an argument with her... friend." Claudette said deliberately mimicking the pause Linsey made when thinking about Signe.

Linsey of course noticed this. "Wait, don't tell me, is your friend-" Linsey stopped when she noticed Claudette giving a knowing smile at someone behind her.

And as she turned around, she saw exactly who she thought it would be, and had hoped it wasn't: Signe. Her eyes widened when she noticed Linsey, just as surprised to see her as Linsey was seeing Signe. She was holding an extra extra large basket of loaded fries that was as correctly predicted way too large for a kid like Toby.

"Hey," said Signe after the little pause the surprise had given them.

"Hey," replied Linsey.

"Oh cool, fries!" said Bobby.

"Right!" Signe put down the tray of fries in front of Linsey's cousins, who both thanked her quickly before digging in.

"Sooo..., how are you doing?" Linsey forced herself to say. She'd much rather just leave and not have to confront her, but she can't just drag her cousins with her without them asking a possibly huge amount of uncomfortable questions, especially when they had just gotten a big basket of fries from Signe. 

"I'm, uhh, doing fine. How about you?" Signe said.

Linsey was about to reply, when she noticed that Signe was not looking at her, but at Claudette who was giving Signe a very particular look. Signe then shook her head slightly while giving a look back. They then exchanged a series of looks, nods, movements, and gestures, which Linsey interpreted as Claudette trying to convince Signe to talk to her. Signe then eventually gave a look that seemed to be reluctantly agreeing. She then turned to Linsey and said "Sorry, what were you saying."

Now it was Linsey's turn to give Signe a look that said 'I know you just had a silent conversation about me with your friend there', but simply said "Oh, I was doing fine too."

Signe nodded. She then turned to Bobby and Toby and asked them "Hey you kids want some soda?" And before they could agree, which they did do, she continued "Cool, hey uh, Linsey, wanna come with?"

Linsey nodded. It had to happen sooner or later. "Sure." she said, rising from the table. 

They walked in awkward silence in the general direction of the soda-stand. Signe led her towards a bit more quiet area before she turned around to face Linsey. "Linsey, I am sorry."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah? Of course I am. I was totally in the wrong. What, did you not think I was going to be?"

Linsey looked a little sheepish, as she admitted "Well, I kinda assumed that since you're like a thousand year old vampire and stuff, you'd be kinda stuck in your ways or something, and too stubborn to admit when you're wrong? Especially to, you know, a 'lowly mortal'. Maybe that wasn't fair."

Signe snorted a little laugh. "Well, yeah, what ways would that be? The ones from the Iron Age? The Middle Ages? Victorian Era? I mean, I definitely know some vampires who are like that, especially with the _'lowly mortal' thing,_ " she said, doing an exaggerated evil aristocrat voice on the last bit, before continuing. "But nah, that's not my style. The view of how the world work changes too much to think you were right all along about everything, at least that's how I see it. So yes, I am sorry, Linsey, I was wrong."

Linsey smiled at Signe's goofs. "Alright, fair, I guess I shouldn't have doubted you. But could you, you know, for my sake, tell me exactly what you did wrong?" She may have been happily surprised that Signe was able to say sorry like this, but she didn't want her to get away with just saying sorry. Not for something like what they were fighting over.

Signe sighed and nodded. "Of course. I am sorry to have downplayed how much your mother means to you, as well as how likely it is for her to accept you for being gay. I am sorry for how flippant I was about cutting her out of your life before giving her a proper chance. And I am sorry for not listening to you when you told me that I was being unnecessarily rude."

Linsey nodded. "...And?"

"And... I am sorry for calling her bitch."

"A what kind of bitch?"

Signe snorted a laugh again. "Ok no, sorry, but I am not going to apologize for the 'controlling' part of 'controlling bitch'. That's a fair and honest opinion to have about her, because frankly she is."

"Signe, she is not that bad." 

"Ok. I will eat my words, **if** she was not the one who demanded you taking your cousins here to the carnival," Signe challenged, with a cocky raise of the eyebrow.

"Ok ok, fair enough, I guess she is pretty controlling," Linsey laughed. "Ok, I forgive you. And again, I am sorry for doubting you."

"It's alright. So, we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good."

Signe smiled. "Awesome. Hey, before we go and actually get those sodas for your cousins, I have _really_ missed kissing you. Can I?" She said, stepping closer. 

Linsey met her half-way and embraced her as she said "I have missed it too. Of course."


	19. Day 19: Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, it's not dead! I know it's been a month and all, but I'm getting back into action, cuz do want to finish it. Hopefully I'll be able to complete it before the end of the year.

_25th of October 1939, Norway_

Helmine was sitting outside the cabin, drinking a nice cup of coffee. Well, as much "nice" and "coffee" as their rations could manage. It was a lovely evening. The sun had set, and the moon shone bright across the land around them, only a few days away from being full. Helmine was simultaneously both dreading it, and looking forward to it. Signe had been a blessed companion to suffer through it with, as Helmine couldn't hurt her in any lasting way and she was able to provide another outlet for her feral urges that wasn't rampaging or killing. Helmine blushed as she thought about exactly how Signe provided that outlet. Never had she imagined that her curse would turn into a situation like that.

It was coming close to 4 years now since she started living in this cabin, and the situation in Europe was not looking like it was getting any better, what with Germany starting another world war. Helmine was very unsure how much longer she had to stay here. Not that she didn't enjoy it for what it was, but it wasn't really a place where she could actually build a future for herself. And besides the raw basics, she had hardly even learnt the language!

Not to mention, as Signe had told her, their relationship was always going to be a temporary affair. She was immortal and eternally young, while Helmine was going to age like normal, and eventually the whole situation would become quite weird to say the least. The question was of course how long it would last. As far as they had talked about it, it might very well last as long as they both live here, and no one could tell when that will end. But for now, Helmine thought, that was only a future worry. She could do very little to change their circumstances, and it would be even harder to improve it outside of the small ways. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

Helmine was taking a gentle sip of her coffee, when suddenly the door to the cabin burst open and Signe stormed out. "Fucking incompetent dolts. Can't even understand the simplest shit you tell them," she muttered angrily as she took out a cigarette and began to light it. "When I get a hold of Frederik, I'm gonna fucking-" she paused as she took a drag, "-give ham den største bunke tæsk han nogensinde har fået. Han vil komme til at ønske han stadig var i live, så han kunne undgå smerten ved at dø." 

"Umm, is everything ok, Signe?" Helmine could barely understand Norwegian let alone Danish, but she was certain that what Signe said wasn't pleasant. 

Signe was silent for a moment before she kicked a small stone nearby, sending it flying off in the distance. She turned around to face Helmine, who could tell there was anger in her eyes but which was thankfully not directed at her. "Yes, just about. But not any fucking thanks to Frederik and his crew. One of our members' home got raided a couple of nights ago by the Germans, and I had clearly told Frederik to warn her that she was on a watchlist, but _nooo_ , apparently that wasn't important enough to do with any kind of haste, so of course she was rudely surprised. Thankfully she had hidden all of her Noctus Adrasteia documents and the immigration paperwork she was doing, but fuck can you imagine if she hadn't?"

"Oh, yeah, that sounds rough." 

A small pause simmered in the cold autumn air, before Signe spoke again.

"I'm sorry, it's not something you should have to worry about as well, it's just silly vampire stuff. I'm just really pissed off."

Helmine nodded. "It's okay. From the sounds of it, you have a good reason to be angry, _but_ you could also come over and sit next to me to get your mind off things?" Helmine padded the spot right next to her on the bench.

Signe's anger quickly evaporated at Helmine's gesture, as her glare turned to a look of fondness at the werewolf. She smiled wider and wider as she walked over and sat next to her. She cozied up to Helmine, who put her arm around the vampire.

"You're right, Helmine darling, this is a much better alternative," Signe said, as she looked over the scenery. "It's a nice night, huh? The moon is really beautiful tonight."

"You're right. It is."

"And so close to being full. Guess I won't have time to be angry in a few days anyway." Signe gently laughed.

Helmine just sighed and shook her head, but couldn't resist smiling as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation: Danish "... give ham den største bunke tæsk han nogensinde har fået. Han vil komme til at ønske han stadig var i live, så han kunne undgå smerten ved at dø."  
> English "... give him the biggest beating he has ever had. He is going to wish he was still alive so he would be able to avoid the pain by dying."


	20. Day 20: Candy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see a more wholesome side of Signe, who is taking care of a sick Sofia.

_17th of December 1897, Copenhagen_

"Thank you very much, Miss Ferrosen. You really are a godsend."

"It's the least I can do. Do not worry about it, Mr. Hansen. Will you be off immediately, or can I offer some coffee perhaps?"

"Ah, thank you for the offer, but yes we have to depart quickly, we are already late as it is."

"Of course, another time then. Come on in then, Sofia."

Sofia walked timidly into Signe's house. She was just a little bit embarrassed about the circumstances. Her father had made a big deal of the Christmas Lunch he and his daughters had been invited to. It was to be a big opportunity to make deals with various business men, as well as a good chance for Kristine to socialise with members of high society her own age. "The Ton" as they say over in England. Sofia hadn't understood most of the excitement, but she did understand that there would be amazing food and drink. 

But sadly, as luck would have it, Sofia fell ill on the morning the day of. Her father of course had been worried, but also heartbroken that either him or Kristine would miss the Lunch, since surely one of them would have to stay home and take care of Sofia. That was until Kristine suggested to take Sofia over to Signe and ask her to take care of her instead. 

Which is why Sofia was taking off her big coat specked with snow, as Signe said goodbye to Sofia's father and sister. She was still not feeling well, and quickly walked over to the couch in the living room to lie on it.

"How are you feeling, Sofia? It's a shame you'll miss the lunch. I can get Frederik to go grab something for you to eat, if you want?" Signe said, covering Sofia with a blanket, before sitting down in the chair next to the couch.

"Mmm. I'm not hungry. Also I don't like Frederik." Sofia murmured.

Signe giggled. "That's ok. Few do, it seems like. Well, maybe it'd be good if you get some rest. There's some hard candy on the table if you want some, and I'll see if we can make some hot chocolate later for you. Would you like that?"

Sofia just nodded. She noticed that there was indeed a bowl of hard candies on the coffee table just in front of the couch. She went to grab for it, but before she could realise it was out of reach, Signe preemptively scooted the bowl closer. 

"Thank you," muttered Sofia as she put one of the candies in her mouth. 

"Don't worry about it. If there's anything you need, just call, but otherwise I'll leave you to get some rest, ok?" Signe said, patting Sofia on the head, as she went to leave. 

Sofia just nodded again. Signe was really nice, she thought. She hoped she wasn't bothering her too much by being sick. But before she could worry too much, she had already dozed off. Later she would awake to a cup of nice hot chocolate.


	21. Day 21: Scary Movie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Linsey watches a movie that gets her thirsting for thirsty vampires.

_29th of October 2009, New York City_

"Come on, Linsey, it's Halloween. We gotta do something fun." Quinn, Linsey's dorm-mate, was dramatically slumped against the doorway to Linsey's room.

Linsey, despite giggling, kept protesting. "There's still two days to Halloween, and I have an essay I want to get a good headway on. I'm sorry."

"But it's _Friday,_ Linsey. You can't seriously want to work on a _Friday evening?!_ "

Linsey sighed. She knew it was a bit much to keep working even on a Friday. It had honestly come as a huge surprise to herself how much her work ethic changed once she entered Uni. Not that she got bad grades in high school, but even she would have called herself a nerd if she saw how she was behaving now. And yet,..

"Quinn, I don't know, I just don't think I am that interested in... what movie was it you were seeing again?"

"We're going to see 'The Vampire Slayer III: Rivers of Blood'! It's gonna be so fun, both Sam and Kim are gonna be there too. And hey, don't make that face,"

Linsey realised she had been making a face because of the title of the movie. Naturally, having a vampire girlfriend, she wasn't overly interested in vampire media all about killing them. Quinn however, not knowing that Linsey's girlfriend actually was a bloodsucking creature of the night, instead correctly guessed the second reason Linsey would be making a face, and continued.

"... I know that the first two films were terrible movies, but _that is the point!_ They're so bad, they loop around to being good."

"Quinn, come on, I just don't see why you would-"

"I'll do all the dishes for a week."

"Alright, let's go, what are we waiting for?"

* * *

Linsey cursed how much she hated doing dishes, otherwise she wouldn't have been so easily convinced. Nonetheless, now they were all here in the cinema to watch a movie about killing vampires. Quinn was pretty much completely correct: it really was so bad that it was good. The actors' performances were campy and goofy despite the movie's themes, most of the effects were laughably terrible, and the direction was very questionable but not so bad as to be confusing. Best of all, the vampires and monsters were actually mostly well-executed.

In particular, there was one female vampire whose acting was amazing and costume was incredible. She reminded Linsey of Signe, despite them looking nothing like each other. Well, except the fangs, the blood red irises, and of course that smoldering look that radiates both thirst and desire like no other. At one point, she was in a scene with one of the female side-characters, and Linsey honestly couldn't tell if the vampire's dialogue about thirsting for her blood was intended to be coded as flirting, but Linsey _felt_ that.

And when the vampire bit down on her neck and the character yelped in pain... Linsey was just glad the theater was dark and no one could see how hard she was blushing.

* * *

"God, that was a train-wreck. It was _beautiful!_ " Kim laughed as they all walked out of the theater.

"Oh man, that gore was something else. It honestly looked like ketchup some times, I swear," Sam nodded.

Quinn gave Linsey a smug look. "See, aren't you glad I told you to come?"

"Ok, you were right, it was pretty fun. But I am also glad that I don't have to do the dishes for a week, gotta say." 

"Alright, alright, worthy sacrifice is what I say."

"So what's the plan now? Wanna get a drink somewhere?" Sam asked, clearly still full of energy.

"Ooh, sorry Sam my man, but I was actually thinking of catching up on some alone time with my girlfriend. She's been _soooo_ busy, no time for lil ol me." Quinn looked directly and dramatically at Kim.

"Come on, I've been texting you every day, baby. But yeah, sorry guys, my sweetheart is right, we're gonna bounce."

"Ok, that's cool, leave us behind, I get it," Sam joked. "Me and Linsey can still have plenty of fun, no issue. I can see if some of my other friends are available, and we'll be good to go!"

"... Actually," Linsey began, whereupon Sam immediately looked the most crestfallen someone could look to the best of his theatrical ability, "I was thinking of going and see Signe."

"The curse of being single," Sam whispered loudly to no one in particular.

"Yeah? You're going to see Signe? Let me guess, that vampire lady did something for you right?" Kim joked. "You know, I bet Signe would be good at pretending to be a vampire for you if you asked. Maybe get her to bite you and stuff, pretty kinky~"

"Come on, it's not like that, I just miss her," Linsey protested while laughing. Except it was like that. It was so much like that, in more ways than her friends would ever know. In fact, if she could get Signe to wear the same kind of gown that the vampire in the movie wore...


	22. Day 22: Haunted

_2nd of September 1509, Wallachia_

The half-moon hang in the sky over a small corner of the principality. It was dark and foreboding night. The weather was gentle, only a small breeze here and there, producing an eerie silence interspersed with the rustling of leaves as the trees catch and play with the small wisps of wind.

Marcel was on a mission. The castle near the little village of his church had been abandoned long ago by its noble family. According to the history, it had simply outlived its strategic use. But towards the end of this summer, strange sightings began to appear around the castle. Small lights flickered in the windows on strange nights. Howls of wolves had become more frequent throughout the nights. And a pale woman had been sighted walking near it, whom none of the residents recognize. Once she had even been spotted walking through the village under the cover of the new moon. 

This was a spirit, no doubt about it. One Marcel had been sent to exorcise. To drive back to its grave. To let it return to eternal rest.

He walked up to the door of the castle, illuminated only by the light of his oil lantern. He tightly grasped his crucifix, pushing open the door, as it creaked through the empty dark halls. He stepped inside. “Spirit! Reveal yourself!”

No answer. He ventured further inside, navigating the cold dead rooms, searching and calling for the undead spirit.

Eventually, he reached the library, where he saw a book lying on a nearby desk. It was clear that someone had been here recently, as the dust that were lying in a thick layer on every surface had been disturbed throughout the room. Marcel was surprised to see that books and documents were still in this library, even if as sparse as they were here.

However, that this book was like this may mean that the castle didn’t house a _spirit_ , but rather some brigand or lone wanderer who was simply using the castle as shelter. But then, why did Marcel not see any signs of living? There was no presence of food, nor any smell of excrement or urine. Perhaps they were just very careful to hide their presence.

Regardless, if this was not a spirit at work, then Marcel shouldn’t be the one to remove it. He would have to send a letter to the lord of the land, asking to send some men to remove whatever lawless fool resides here. And if it was a spirit, it’s powerful enough to interact with the corporeal world. Either way he needed help, and had to leave the castle.

* * *

A little while after Marcel left the castle, Signe climbed out of the dark confines of the library ceiling where she had been hiding. Looks like her research-task was going to be cut short, since she did not particularly prefer to deal with a bunch of priests or soldiers. What a shame. And after she had just become good friends with the local wolf population as well as a cute girl in the local village. It seems this priest didn’t have any consideration for the true undead being haunting this castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays for all who celebrate something around this winter solstice! And good luck to all who have to hide who they are or deal with bigotry and aggression from family in these times.


	23. Day 23: Magic

_25th of April 604, Denmark_

“Ah, hello Signe, nice of you to visit,” said Olga, the seidkona, wise woman, living near the edge of the village. Signe, who was still standing outside Olga’s hut and were just about to knock on the door when Olga spoke, accepted the invitation and stepped inside.

“Hello Olga. Thanks for having me,” she said closing the door behind her.

“What can I do for you, young lass? You seem troubled?”

“I, uh, I came to see if you could tell me what the future has in store for me?”

Olga chuckled. “Because you don’t like what other people have said your future is going to be, right? People, like perhaps your father?”

Signe tensed and avoided eye contact. “Yes. Correct as always.”

“Well, usually I’d advise young folk that they still have many years left to live and that they should forge their own destiny, but I can see how that is a more perilous choice for you. So of course. Sit down, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Signe sat down at the seidkona’s table, as Olga prepared her divination runes. 

“Let’s see~. If you do nothing, then your father will find someone for you to marry benefiting both of your settlements with a political blood bond. Do you not think you could find happiness still, despite your complaints? You know, plenty of arranged couples eventually learn to love each other.”

“No, I genuinely do not think so,” Signe sighed exasperated. She hoped that Olga was not going to try and convince her otherwise, as many others have tried.

And as Olga threw the runes, she grimaced. “Ooh, no, you’re right. Gruesome, gruelling fate. You’re right to want to avoid it.”

Signe snorted a laugh. Olga’s reaction was frankly refreshing. “Thank you. But that still leaves **how** to avoid it.”

“Perhaps you’re thinking of having that friend of yours, the warrior princess from the island which disappeared some time ago, return once again to rescue you, whisk you away from here, to live together in happiness?”

Signe dared not confirm it, but the hopeful glint in her eyes said everything, as the runes landed once again on the table.

“Ah, no, several empires will rise and fall before _she_ returns.” 

Signe groaned in disappointment. “Just say it won’t happen, no need to be poetic about it.”

“Signe, dear, poetry is a part of it,” Olga chuckled, “but not matter, how else would you avoid arranged marriage, you think?”

“Hm. I could take a boat and sail away, perhaps with the help of some close friends who could keep a secret? Never to return? Find my happiness elsewhere?”

“Maybe bring with you that thrall you like, Theodora, hmm? Maybe grant her freedom in exchange for coming with you to find a new life as equals?”

Signe blushed. Again, she dared not confirm her fantasies. But to Olga it was answer enough. She threw the runes.

“Hmm, sadly no, the world is full of danger and you cannot protect your goal of happiness by simply fleeing.”

Signe slumped. “Then what? Challenge my father to combat, to win my freedom?”

Olga threw the runes. “No, you might not be the worst maiden at combat in this village, Signe, but it is still your father we’re talking about.”

“Poison him.”

“Even if you could bring yourself to do it, and you did not get caught, your uncle would still want to marry you off.”

“Stage a revolt.”

“They wouldn’t listen to you.”

Signe gritted her teeth. It seemed that no matter what she did, she would be miserable. “Then I guess I should just die.”

Olga humoured her by throwing the runes yet again, but her eyes widened in surprise. “Yes.”

“Yes? You’re saying I should kill myself?” Signe looked sceptically at Olga. Surely she wasn’t suggesting suicide to the chieftain’s daughter.

“No, not by your own hand. But before the next harvest, you will be given a choice that may lead to your death. And it is through that death that you will find true freedom and happiness.”

“You claim that I can only find happiness in the afterlife? I’m sorry, but I do not accept that. You told me yourself, I should forge my own destiny, right? And I will, your divinations be damned!” Angrily, Signe stood up from the table, and walked out.

“Hm, good instinct,” Olga mumbled to herself in the now empty hut. “But I think you’ll appreciate my advice nonetheless.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look forward to the sequel to this vignette in chapter 26: Cackle.
> 
> the warrior princess from the island is a lil easter egg for my friend AlexisSara, who’s also playing in the Masks game Signe is intended for.


	24. Day 24: Scarecrow

_18th of January 2016, Japan_

A motorcycle roared along a quiet countryside road. It was a gentle winter-night, and the snow was falling lightly along the fields and forests. 

The rider came to the edge of a small village, where she was stopped by an unusual sight. Three people were standing working in a field half a kilometer away. Not too unusual, if it weren't in the middle of a winter-night. 

The rider opened for her inner visor, the outer darker UV-protecting visor already opened, in order to see better. Her blood-red vampiric eyes shone in the darkness, peering for any details, revealing what these mysterious figures were, for people they were not. Were they corpses reanimated by a necromancer to slave away in undeath? Were they automatons? Were they specters or ghouls wanting to lure in curious mortals? No, it seems in truth they are—

Scarecrows... Well, not just any kind of scarecrow, really well made ones. Not just a wooden T filled up with straw and given old clothes, these were made with artistic intent to appear more realistic, the rider guessed. 

That mystery solved, she went onwards, driving slower through the village so to not disturb the peace of night too much. 

But as she turned a corner on the road, suddenly a dark figure appeared behind a shrub. The rider was shocked for a fraction of a second as she tried to decipher what had appeared. She hadn't heard any noise, not even a heartbeat, or shuffle of flesh against fabric that should have stood out clear to her in the quiet of this night. That's when she noticed... 

It was another scarecrow. Similar design as the ones in the field, though looking more like someone bringing a basket of stuff rather than farming. Odd to put one here, the rider thought, seeing as it's not in a field to protect. Well, if you've got the artistic drive to make the first ones, why let something like a lack of a field stop you from making more?

Continuing further into the village, the rider spotted a group of people sitting on a bench far away. They were cold, silent, and unmoving. Were they another group of scarecrows?

Yep, they were. This village certainly liked their scarecrows. 

* * *

The rider taked off her helmet as she went into the local onsen. It was not tourist season, so the staff were glad to have a customer, but less glad that she arrived in the middle of the night. 

"Welcome, miss. May I have your name?"

"Yes, of course. Ferrosen."

"Do you have a reservation?"

"No, I do not."

"Ok. We cannot provide dinner this late in the night, I hope that is not an issue?"

"Not an issue. In fact, you don't need to provide dinner for the length of my stay. I'm good."

"Certainly." 

"So your village has a lot of scarecrows, huh?"

"Oh, yes. We are very proud of them." The clerk chuckled as she relaxed. The tall blonde foreigner in front of her looked just a tad intimidating as she walked in, so it was nice to see her initiating small-talk. 

"I can tell. They are really well-made."

"The tourists love them, yes. They look better in the daylight; I'm sure they were a bit spooky in the dark." 

The foreigner giggled. "Yes, set me on edge just a bit. But I will have to take your word for it. I'm both jetlagged, and have work to do tomorrow night, so I'd prefer not to be woken up."

"Very well, miss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gonna be honest, this was the most interesting interpretation I could think of scarecrow. but yeah, interestingly there is actual villages filled with scarecrows/dolls in Japan. https://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-culture/scarecrows


End file.
